Bloodstained Tears Book 2: Labyrinth
by The Worst Nightmare
Summary: Sequel to What If? After being abandoned by their parents, Palepaw and Shadowpaw struggle for acceptance from their Clan, while Cedarpaw discovers a secret that could save the lives of every tom and she-cat in RushClan, if only they would listen.
1. Allegiances

**Hi, everyone. Thanks for your concern for Blazey. She wants to tell you all that's she's doing a lot better than she was last week. Also, she wanted me to continue the Bloodstained Tears saga, since she won't be coming back to FF, whether she gets better or not. So, here are the allegiances for Bloodstained Tears Book 2: Labyrinth. If you want to read the first one, it's still on Blazey's profile. Just look it up.**

**RushClan**

**Leader:** Bramblestar - Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Apprentice, **Cedarpaw

**Deputy:** Brackenfur - Golden brown tabby tom.

**Medicine Cat:** Barkface - Short-tailed brown tom.

**Warriors:**

Sandstorm - Pale ginger she-cat.

**Apprentice,** Heatherpaw

Cloudtail - Long-haired white tom.

Thornclaw - Golden brown tabby tom.

Birchfoot - Light brown tabby tom.

Leafpool - Light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

Squirrelflight - Dark ginger she-cat with green eyes.

**Apprentice, **Narrowpaw

Sorreltail - Tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes.

**Apprentice,** Willowpaw

Rainwhisker - Dark gray tom with blue eyes.

Crowfeather - Dark gray tom.

Nightcloud - Black she-cat.

**Apprentice,** Jaypaw

Weaselfur - Ginger tom with white paws.

Ferncloud - Pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat, green eyes.

**Apprentices:**

Cedarpaw - Golden brown tabby tom with green eyes.

Heatherpaw - Tortoiseshell she-cat.

Narrowpaw - Brown tabby she-cat.

Willowpaw - Tortoiseshell she-cat.

Jaypaw - Dark gray tom with blue eyes.

**Queens:**

Whitetail - Small white she-cat.

**Elders:**

Longtail - Pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight.

Morningflower - Tortoiseshell queen.

**CoveClan**

**Leader:** Smallstar - Cream colored she-cat with green eyes.

**Deputy:** Rushingwind - Silver tabby tom.

**Apprentice, **Shadowpaw

**Medicine Cat:** Midnightshadow - Black she-cat with amber eyes.

**Apprentice,** Palepaw

**Warriors:**

Splashdown - Fluffy gray tom with sea blue eyes.

Darkflower - Dark gray she-cat with ice blue eyes.

Haretail - Light gray tom.

**Apprentice, **Heronpaw

Lizardstripe - Calico tom with brown eyes.

Bramblemask - Golden she-cat.

Foxfang - Dark ginger tom with a white underbelly and paws. Amber eyes.

**Apprentices:**

Shadowpaw - Black tom with green eyes.

Palepaw - White she-cat with pale blue eyes.

Heronpaw - Fluffy gray she-cat with amber eyes.

**Queens:**

Onyxwing - Silver tabby she-cat with two black wing-shaped splotches on her flanks.

Ashensoul - Gray tabby she-cat.

**Elders:**

Snowfeather - Deaf white she-cat with blue eyes.

**Cats Outside of Clans**

Whiteheart - White she-cat with green eyes, mother of Palepaw and Shadowpaw.

Rivenheart - Black tom with odd, pale blue eyes, father of Palepaw and Shadowpaw.

Pepper - Jet-black she-cat with odd, pale blue eyes.

Feather - White she-cat with green eyes.

Sneeze - Fluffy brown she-cat with green eyes.

Rose - White she-cat with green eyes.

Midnight - Jet-black tom with a brown tail. Green eyes.


	2. Oak Leaves

**Here's chapter one. After I upload chapter two, I'll start writing the new chapters.**

Chapter 1: Palepaw

"Very good," Midnightshadow, my mentor, mewed as I pressed the marigold pulp onto my brother Shadowpaw's wound. "Perfect. Remember..."

"'The pulp has to be chewed just right for it to work properly'," I quoted. "I know. Can we do something more exciting now? _Please_?"

"No," Midnightshadow replied sharply. "Now, I'm going to gather some herbs. You stay here and patch up your brother. I'll be back before sundown."

"How did you say you got these scratches again?" I asked as Midnightshadow padded out of the den.

"Battle training," Shadowpaw replied, flinching a I pressed more pulp onto another wound. "I fell into a row of brambles and got stuck inside one of the bushes. They're really quite hard to get out of. did you know that?"

"I can imagine," I replied as I chewed up some more marigold and spat it onto a long, shallow scratch on my brother's hindleg.

"Stop it!" he cried. "That hurts!"

"Whiny little kit," I muttered. "Do you _want_ it to get infected and turn green?"

"Green?" Shadowpaw gasped, his eyes glinting. "That would be _awesome_!"  
"Well, I'm not going to let that happen," I snapped. "I would never live it down if I failed my first task. And besides, others would make fun of you if your leg turned all green and icky." I made a face as I imagined a swollen green glob on the back of Shadowpaw's leg and spat some more marigold into the wound.

"Are you finished yet?" Shadowpaw asked as I padded cobwebs onto the wound.

"Not even close," I replied grimly.

"Well hurry!" Shadowpaw growled.

I remembered the day Shadowpaw had become an apprentice. Rushingwind, the young deputy, had nearly burst with excitement when he discovered that he was to mentor the son of the previous deputy, Rivenheart. Of course, our father had only been deputy for about two and a half moons before he and our mother Whiteheart had disappeared completely. Shadowpaw always blamed himself for their disappearance, and ever since we were allowed out of camp, he has been searching for some trace of them, but it's been five moons since the day they vanished. Smallstar, our leader, had declared him dead and chosen Rushingwind as the new deputy after sending out search parties to search for fourteen days and fourteen nights. Of course, even after that, Shadowpaw continued to search. He even came to me oncce, just after moonhigh, woke me up, and told me that he had picked up our parents' scents. I followed him to the bank of the stream. We travelled in circles until dawn before I finally gave up and went back to the medicine den to get some more sleep.

"W...Wait!" Shadowpaw had mewed as I padded away. "I...I know it lead this way! I smelled him! I know I did!"

I had always been trying to convince my younger brother that there was no hope, and that our parents were either no longer in the forest, or dead. Still, young Shadowpaw never lost hope, which irritated me sometimes.

"Palepaw!" Midnightshadow's voice shook me from my thoughts. I turned to face my mentor sheepishly, expecting scolding or a punsihment, but all she said was, "Are you done tending to your brother's wounds?"

I looked down at my brother. I suppose I had been subconciously dressing his wounds while I thought, because every wound was covered. "Yes," I replied. "I...I suppose so."

"Nope!" Shadowpaw mewed triumphantly, flipping himself over to reveal at least a moon's worth of work for a daft, slow apprentice like me. "You've still got the other side to do."

"Why don't you get some fresh air?" Midnightshadow suggested, padding to my side. "I'll take care of it from here."

"Thanks," I mewed gratefully over my shoulder as I raced out of CoveClan's camp and into the fresh air of the forest above. I sighed contentedly and, hearing a rustling in the bushes, dropped into a crouch. Hunting was _so_ much more fun than applying plant juice to an apprentice's hindlegs. Slowly, cautiously, I drew myself forward. Right as the mouse scrabbling in the bushes looked up, I pounced, paws outstretched, jaws open in a yowl of triumph.

"Gotcha!" I cried as I felt my claws sink into fur. I heard a squeak much too loud for a mouse and looked up. Before me stood a white she-cat with green eyes, probably no older than three moons.

"Mommy!" the kit wailed as she raced through the stream and away from me.

_Hmmm,_ I thought. _That kit doesn't smell like it's from a Clan._ Out of curiosity, I followed the she-cat's scent trail as it wove through the undergrowth past the stream. It wasn't very long before I came upon a swath of brambles. The kit's scent was the strongest here, and it mingled with the scents of several other cats. _I suppose this is where they live,_ I thought. Just before I pushed my way into the brambles, I was tackled by a pale ginger she-cat from behind.

"What are you doing on RushClan territory?" she demanded.

"I...I wasn't trying to hurt anyone!" I mewed. "And you can't hurt me, either, since I'm the medicine cat apprentice of CoveClan!"

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" the ginger warrior snarled.

"Go ask Smallstar!" I meowed.

The ginger she-cat mumbled incoherently and stepped off of me. I puffed out my chest with triumph and turned back to the brambles.

_Who's in there?_ I wondered as I pushed the brambles aside.

The clearing within the circle of brambles was _beautiful_! There was tall grass, flattened in some places, where the cats who lived here probably slept, flowers, and a dried out pond in the center with moss gowing on the inside. A shaft of greenleaf sunlight shone on my pelt, warming me greatly. I sighed and, forgetting that I wasn't supposed to be here, flopped onto my side and closed my eyes.

"Palepaw, do wake up!" A paw prodded my side. I opened my eyes to see Midnightshadow standing over me, her gaze stern but gentle. "Please, nobody can sleep with all your yowling in your sleep!"

"I'm sorry," I murmured, rising to my paws and stretching. "Why'd you wake me up?"

"Foxfang's got an infection in his hindleg, and we're out of dried oak leaves. I need you to go to RushClan's camp and ask them if they would lend us some."

"But what if they say no?" I asked.

"Then..." Midnightshadow started. "Then we're going to have to go to RiverClan's old territory and gather horsetail. But oak leaves are easier to carry and easier to chew, so hurry along and get to RushClan's medicine cat!"

"But..." I started.

"Out!" Midnightshadow yowled. I yelped and raced out of the medicine den.

As I padded up the tunnel that lead to the forest, I thought, _Midnightshadow has such a temper!_ I pushed aside the boulder that blocked the entrance to the camp and stepped out into the snow that lay thick on the ground. Trying to ignore the freezing sensation in my paws, I bounded along the bank of the stream, the almost-full moon my only light as I ventured onto an unfamiliar territory. _Wait,_ I thought suddenly, freezing on the bank of the stream right before I crossed. _We don't go to Gatherings. How will they know that I'm Midnihgtshadow's apprentice? What if they think I'm here to kill their kits? _I shook the thought out of my head and crossed the stream with a small bound. _Why would they think I'd kill their kits? I'm an apprentice!_ I soon came upon the slightly familiar scent of RushClan cats. The only time I had ever scented it was when my brother and I had tried to hold off a midnight attack from RushClan when we were only kits. Shadowkit had broken his tail and lost two claws, but he managed to recover pretty well. Now, as I picked it up yet again, images of the battle flashed through my head: The glinting, malicious amber eyes of Bramblestar as he pounded after me in an attempt to murder me. The sickening crunch of Shadowkit's tail as it was trampled, and the wail of agony that followed. But the most prominent image in my head was that of Heronpaw's youngest brother, Minglekit, squealing as he was chased out of camp and drowned in the deepest part of the stream. I shuddered, feeling a chill ripple down my spine and padded onward. A sudden yowl stopped me dead in my tracks.

"Hey! What are you doing on our territory?"


	3. Trespasser

**Time for chapter dos!!!**

Chapter 2: Cedarpaw

"Hey!" I yowled. "What are you doing on our territory?"

The white she-cat froze, her eyes wide with terror. I had been placed on watch duty by Bramblestar, the leader of my Clan, RushClan. So far, the day had been rather dull. There weren't any other Clans around here except for CoveClan, and they didn't come into the forest very much. And then the white she-cat with odd, pale blue eyes came along. This _had_ to be the most exciting part of my day so far. I almost didn't see the trespasser, as she blended in with the snow, a clear, chalky white. The only part of her that gave her away was her set of pale blue eyes.

"I..." the she-cat stuttered. "I...I'm...I..."

"Well," I growled. "Come on then. Out with it. You're...?"

"Palepaw," the she-cat spat out.

"And why are you here, Palepaw?" I asked.

"One of my Clanmates has an infection in his hind leg," Palepaw explained. "And we're all out of dried oak leaves. I'm the medicine cat's apprentice, and I wish to speak with your medicine cat, if you will allow me."

I growled, narrowing my eyes suspiciously at her. "And how do I know you're not lying?"

"Go ask Smallstar," Palepaw challenged, her polite air dissolving. She, too narrowed her eyes and growled. "I _don't_ lie."

We both stood our ground, our eyes locked as we glared. My stomach felt it would just about burst with fury, so I gave up. "Fine," I muttered. "I'll take you to Bramblestar." Without a word, I slipped through the thorn barrier that surrounded the camp entrance. I heard Palepaw's soft steps as she followed me.

"Cedarpaw," Bramblestar's familiar growl greeted me as I padded into the RushClan camp. "Why are you back? I've not yet sent out another cat to take your place."

"I've brought a trespasser," I meowed, stepping out of the way to reveal Palepaw, who slid timidly out into the open. "She claims to be Palepaw, the medicine cat of RushClan."

"Ah, yes," Bramblestar growled, staring down at Palepaw. "I seem to recall your face. You and your brother Scumkit were trying to hold us off when we attacked you three moons ago."

"His name is _Shadowpaw_," Palepaw corrected the leader sharply. Bramblestar lashed out at Palepaw with an unsheathed paw, scoring a long claw mark down the side of her muzzle. I flinched, expecting her to screech in pain, but she did not move a muscle. She stood perfectly still, breathing in and out evenly as blood seeped from her cut and onto the dusty floor of the camp.

"I've had worse injuries," Palepaw meowed evenly.

"Why have you come?" Bramblestar demanded.

"I wish to see your medicine cat," Palepaw replied. "My mentor, Midnightshadow, is in need of dried oak leaves, and we have none at our camp, and we were hoping that perhaps you might give us some."

I was rather shocked at how politely the young medicine cat was now acting, that is, if she even _was_ a medicine cat. _She just had a major mood swing,_ I thought as I stared at the side of her head, watching blood drip down her muzzle, staining her white pelt scarlet. _She-cats can be _so_ temperamental!_

"And why doesn't your lazy mentor just get off her haunches and gather some oak leaves herself?" Bramblestar snarled.

"Because," Palepaw meowed calmly. "We have no oak trees in our vicinity. If we needed to collect oak leaves, we'd have to steal them from your territory. And I know how much leaders hate it when other cats steal from them."

"Fine," Bramblestar meowed. I noticed a smug grin on Palepaw's face. She turned to me.

"Good day," she meowed. Then she turned to Bramblestar and dipped her head. "Good day to you as well, Bramblestar. My Clan thanks you for your generosity." Then the white apprentice padded off, leaving both Bramblestar and I in the snow.

"What just happened?" Bramblestar asked, turning to look at me.

"I'm not sure," I replied slowly. "But one thing I know is that she's got quite a temper."

"Cedarpaw!" Bramblestar yowled. I jumped, my head shooting straight up.

"Yes Bramblestar?" I mewed, yawning.

"You're not to fall asleep on duty anymore," Bramblestar growled. "Do you understand me? You were supposed to see that apprentice off while I slept, but since you decided to sleep instead, _I_ was the one who had to escort her all the way back to her Clan!"

"Oh," I meowed, looking at my paws. "Sorry about that. I promise it won't happen again."

"It'd better not," Bramblestar growled. "Now, get to your paws. We're going hunting with Squirrelflight and Narrowpaw." Bramblestar spat out Squirrelflight's name like it was a piece of maggot-infested crowfood he had bitten into. I didn't quite understand it. Squirrelflight was a wonderful warrior, and she was a joy to be around. And so was Narrowpaw. I almost drooled as I scrambled to my paws in the blanket of snow in which I had slept. Narrowpaw, the brown tabby she-cat with sparkling blue eyes. She was so bouncy and full of fun. I loved her so much, and I wanted to be with her forever, but I just didn't know how to tell her that I loved her. Maybe today I could. I mean, we were going to be warriors in about five moons, which wasn't a very long time. Then, we could settle down and start a family together. Maybe...

"Cedarpaw!" Bramblestar meowed. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Wha?" I shook my head.

"I _said_," Bramblestar repeated his instructions. "Squirrelflight and I will go hunting in the direction of the ShadowClan border, and you and Narrowpaw can go toward the CoveClan border. Catch as much prey as you can. We'll meet at the Sky Oak at sunhigh."

"Alright," I meowed, dipping my head as Squirrelflight and Narrowpaw padded out into the clearing.

"Good morning, Cedarpaw!" Narrowpaw mewed, bounding to my side.

"Morning!" I meowed in reply.

"Squirrelflight," Bramblestar dipped his head to the lovely ginger she-cat.

"Bramblestar," Squirrelflight almost growled, narrowing her eyes.

"Let's go," Bramblestar meowed, turning to me. "You know what to do." Then, the leader turned and padded off. Almost reluctantly, Squirrelflight followed.

"We're hunting CoveClan's territory," I meowed to Narrowpaw, then turned and lead her in the direction of the frozen stream that divided the two territories.

"I'll bet I can catch more prey than you before sunhigh!" Narrowpaw challenged.

"I doubt it!" I scoffed playfully. "Alright then, here are the rules: We'll each take a separate path. I'll go in the direction of the Moonpool, and you go toward WindClan's old camp, but there's no crossing the stream, even if the prey you're chasing crosses it. At sunhigh, we'll meet up and count our prey, then return to the Sky Oak."

"What does the winner get?" Narrowpaw asked.

"Let's see..." I murmured, already deep in thought. I wanted to make it something good, so that when I won, I'd be able to enjoy it. "Whoever catches the most prey gets to...stay in the apprentice den all night and have the loser tend to their every whim."

"Seems fair," Narrowpaw replied smugly, dipping her head. "Now then, let's get started." She flicked her tail, signaling for the competition to start, and bounded away from me. I turned and headed in the other direction. I wondered what the Moonpool looked like. I myself had never seen it, I'd only heard stories. But I imagined it was beautiful. I shook my head and bounded down the stream, my nose in the air, searching for the familiar prey scent I scented usually right before I made a kill. Then, a sharp smell hit the scent glands at the roof of my mouth. _Squirrel!_ I looked up at the tree that stood before me, a tall, spiny pine tree. On the second lowest branch of the tree sat a squirrel a big, brown nut in its paws. I dropped into a hunting crouch, trying to remember how to climb just as swiftly as a WindClan cat ran. For a heartbeat, I envied Narrowpaw. Her father was a WindClan warrior, so she was definitely the fastest of the two of us. I blinked, clearing the cloud of envy that surrounded my head and focused on my kill. I crept forward as slowly as I could, unsheathing my claws and preparing to jump for the trunk of the tree. When I was about a rabbit length away from the base of the tree, I jumped. I flew through the air for less than a heartbeat before slamming into the trunk of the tree. The squirrel, losing its balance and its nut, fell out of the branch and onto the ground. I jumped off of the tree and followed the squirrel as it shot through the undergrowth. Luckily, I caught up quickly, as the squirrel tried to leap for a tree and missed, landing on the ground right in front of my paws. _What luck!_ I thought as I scooped the furry creature up with a sharp, hooked set of claws and threw it into the air. It landed on the ground with a crunch, and I killed it quickly, to keep it from suffering. I buried it at the base of a beech tree.

I heard another scuffling sound under the bushes and scented the air again. It smelled like a vole. Dropping into a hunting crouch, I pulled myself slowly forward, preparing to pounce. I unsheathed my claws when I was a mouse length away and prepared to pounce.

"Hey!" A familiar voice cried. My head shot up. The vole scurried away. It was Palepaw.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "I thought we got rid of you at dawn."

"CoveClan's territory just so happens to be right across this stream," Palepaw replied.

"Well thanks for scaring off that vole," I muttered. "Now I'm going to have to tend to Narrowpaw's every whim!"

"Oh," Palepaw mewed, looking down at her paws. "I'm sorry." Then, her head shot back up. "Wait!" she cried. "I have an idea!" She pointed with her nose toward the birch tree where I had buried my squirrel. "Would you like to trade a squirrel for five mice and a thrush?"

"Would I!" I exclaimed. "All that for just a measly squirrel?"

"Well, my Clan never really gets squirrels, so if I only take one squirrel instead of five mice and a thrush back to Smallstar, she'll be so pleased, and she might even let Shadowpaw out for training instead of keeping him cooped up in the elder's den changing their bedding."

"My Clan _always_ gets squirrels," I mewed. "And they _always_ get mice and thrushes, too, but if I bring all this home and maybe a vole or two," I made sure to put stress on the word _vole_. "I'll win the contest for sure!" I bounded over to the birch tree, dug up the squirrel, and bounded back, spitting the squirrel at Palepaw's paws.

"Just a moment, please," she mewed, turning and padding off. "I'll have to go unbury mine first. Please, continue your hunting while I'm gone."

I nodded and scented the air again. The smell of vole was still strong and fresh, but this time it was under a holly bush instead of a bramble bush. I crouched and crept toward the holly, unsheathing my claws. Right as Palepaw returned, I pounced, killing the vole with a swift bite to the neck.

"Wow," Palepaw whispered as I trotted up to her with the vole in my jaws. I looked up at the sky. Sunhigh was just around the corner, and the Sky Oak was quite a distance away. Palepaw nudged the five mice and the thrush to my paws, picked up the squirrel, and bounded off. Now, I just had to figure out a way to carry all this prey. I picked up the mice by their tails, the thrush by its tail feathers, and stuck the vole right into my mouth so that the head and half of its body was hanging out. I breathed through my nose, not wanted to moisten the prey, as I bounded through the forest in a race against the sun as it climbed higher and higher. Finally, right as the sun reached its highest point, the Sky Oak came within view. I quickened my pace and sprinted down to the oak where my mentor was waiting with Squirrelflight and Narrowpaw. I dropped my catch on the ground and took in a deep breath through my mouth, glad that the prey was gone, and that I wouldn't be tempted to swallow it all whole now. Then I noticed something. Squirrelflight looked quite distraught and angered, glaring right at Bramblestar who just looked the other way as if nothing was wrong.

"How'd you catch all that?" Narrowpaw asked in awe as she looked down at her two water voles and a scrawny squirrel.

"I'm just good," I shrugged.

"Excellent job, you two," Bramblestar meowed. "Now, let's get back to camp.

"Wait," I mewed, looking down at Bramblestar's paws. "Why didn't you two bring back any prey?"

Bramblestar turned to Squirrelflight, as though willing her to keep her mouth shut. "We had something else to do," he meowed. Then he and Squirrelflight each picked up half of the prey in my pile, leaving the vole for me to carry. Narrowpaw tried to stuff her two water voles into her mouth, but the squirrel was in the way. I trotted over to her.

"Here," I mewed, taking the squirrel from her mouth. "Let me help you."

"Thanks," her mew was muffled by the two water voles, but I could still tell what she was saying.

As we trotted back to camp, I tried to figure out what Bramblestar meant by 'we had something else to do'. Wasn't hunting more important than 'something else'? And if that 'something' was so much more important than hunting for the Clan, then why didn't they tell us about it? Then, I thought of something else. No less than a moon ago, Bramblestar took Whitetail out hunting with us, and he sent me in the other direction. At the half moon, she moved into the nursery. I stopped, my body rigid with fear. Why was he doing this to poor Squirrelflight, too? Did he want the whole Clan to be filled with his kin? Then it hit me. He _did_ want the Clan to not only to be filled with his kin, but he wanted the Clan to be filled with his kin _only_. If I didn't do something about it, soon, every tom in the Clan who wasn't his kin would be killed, and every she-cat would be forced to bear his kits!


End file.
